As far as opening nights go, Brian Dutcher’s new-look San Diego State Aztecs earned a rave review.
The Aztecs beat Cal State Fullerton 102-78 on Tuesday night at Viejas Arena to usher in the Pac-12 era.
Fans at Viejas Arena got a good look at why Dutcher was so high on Latrell Davis last year, even though he was redshirted, as the junior guard poured in a team-high 25 points in his Aztecs debut.
Holdovers Elzie Harrington and Tae Simmons also had big performances, as did newcomer Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry.
Here are three instant takeaways from the Aztecs’ season-opening home win against Cal State Fullerton.
1. Latrell Davis shines in long-awaited San Diego State debut
Davis didn’t waste any time showing why Dutcher heaped praise on him last year, saying that if he hadn’t been redshirted, the Aztecs would have been an NCAA Tournament team.
Davis got off to a hot start by pouring in 18 points to lead the Aztecs to a 54-43 halftime lead.
Davis finished shooting 8 of 13 from the floor, including 5 of 8 from the 3-point line.
Simmons had his first double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Harrington had 15 points. They are the two main returning players after the Aztecs had six players leave via the transfer portal after last season ended with a snub on Selection Sunday.
Cherry, a 6-foot-10, 270-pound forward, had a huge debut after joining the Aztecs via the transfer portal. He had 15 points, seven rebounds and four blocks.
2. Brian Dutcher gets first look at his revamped rotation
The starting five included guards Chance Gladden, Harrington and Davis, and forwards Simmons and Cherry.
Dutcher used 11 players, including all three of the former European pros who signed in May but weren’t cleared to play by the NCAA until earlier this fall. Nine of them scored at least one point.
3. Aztecs dominate the glass and capitalize on second chances
The Aztecs outrebounded the Titans 51-28 to help set up 27 second-chance points to just four for the Titans.
SDSU outshot the Titans 48.5% to 40.6%.
They also held Cal State Fullerton to 7 of 32 3-point shots after the Titans hit double-digit 3’s in all three of their exhibition games.
Up next
The Aztecs face Colorado at 12:30 p.m. Saturday in the inaugural Bill Walton Classic at Pechanga Arena, one of their former home courts.
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